


One in the Morning

by Mekashikito



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Absence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Natsu Dragneel, Injury, Late at Night, Love, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25214923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mekashikito/pseuds/Mekashikito
Summary: He should be here. It was too cold, too dark, and again, like many nights, she desperately wished that he was here.That he was okay, and safe, and here with her. But he wasn't, it was one in the morning, and Lucy gave up on trying to sleep.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 85





	One in the Morning

Lucy couldn't sleep.

She had shut her eyes, curled up under the blanket, and tossed and turned in her bed. In _their_ bed, but she couldn't fall asleep.

Heavy exhaustion weighted on her due to the lack of sleep the past four months. Her friends could see how much his absence had been affecting her from her dark eye bags, messy blonde hair, her dark and baggy clothing, and her slouched back at the bar in the guildhall with a steaming coffee mug instead of her usual milkshake in hand.

Nothing her friends could do or say could reassure her worries and fears when it became obvious something had went wrong.

The mission wasn't hard. It was only rank C and a delivery mission. Happy had decided to not join him on it in search for a delectable fish for Carla. And Lucy wanted to stay behind so she could continue working on her novel. He pouted at the fact that he was going alone, but he shrugged and still accepted the mission anyway; having left the guildhall with a grin and a wave.

He was supposed to return a few days after his departure.

The first few days after the day he was supposed to come back from the mission hadn't stirred any concerns. Everyone in the guild assumed he was a little behind due to the recent large thunderstorm they had. Lucy frowned at the pounding rain outside the window and hoped he was in a warm and dry place, and not running through the rain pour to get back home. A small fond smile appeared at the thought; it would be like him to do that.

The next week when he didn't show up was when people began worrying. The first search party consisting of Gray, Lucy and Happy left Magnolia. They returned a couple days later with no news besides the confirmation that he had successfully completed his mission. Lucy tried to reassure herself that he was somewhere safe and just couldn't make it to Magnolia yet. The following week, when no spiky pink-haired man with a scarf resembling of a dragon's scales appeared, Erza and Wendy joined in on the search. They all returned with slow shakes of their heads. Lucy tried to regulate her shaky breathing in an attempt to ease the growing panic and fear in her.

The search continued on for weeks, which turned into months, with multiple members of the guild leaving to help find the missing Salamander, but their search always ended up futile. It seemed as if he disappeared with no traces left behind.

As of recently, the number of search parties sent out had been slowing down, but no one gave up on him. They continued to believe that he would return home soon, hopefully unscathed. Then they would tackle him to the ground the second he stepped his foot inside the guildhall and pester him about where the hell he had been these past few long months.

But it was difficult to believe on some days.

And for Lucy, she continued to search and on her own. She listened for any sightings of a pink-haired man, bought newspapers and articles in a small hope that there was news about him, and travelled to every town and visited wizard guilds for any sign of him. But they always ended in a dead end. On some of the worst days, she'd cry. It didn't really matter where or with who but often times, she'd find herself sitting on the cold wooden floors of their bedroom alone in the dark, or when Happy came into the room in the house the three of them have been living together for the past year and snuggled into her chest; leaving large tear stains into her shirt.

And on many nights, Lucy felt too restless, too anxious, to fall asleep. Tonight was another one of those nights.

With a quiet sigh, she gave up attempting to sleep and sat up from the bed, the covers softly pooling down at her waist. She took a glimpse at the clock that was next to her whip and celestial keys on the nightstand beside the bed on her right. It was one in the morning.

She turned her head to the left and her tired eyes stared at the empty space next to her. Natsu should be here. It was too cold, too dark, and again, like many nights, she desperately wished that Natsu was here. That he was okay, and safe, and _here_ with her. To be wrapped in his arms, hear his heartbeat drum steadily and strong as her head laid on his chest, and the soft tickle of his breath at her neck.

She lowered her head, her bangs messily fell over her face, and shut her eyes. Her fingers were clenched tightly onto the covers. She continued to be lost in her thoughts when a sudden **BANG** was heard.

She tensed and opened her eyes as her head shot up. She narrowed her eyes at the door that led out into the hall and toward the sound. The sound sounded as if the front door had been shut.

She frowned. She was alone tonight. Happy was with Carla and Wendy for the night. Whoever just entered her house was not one of her friends or Happy. She knew because they would usually announce their arrival as they entered.

Lucy eased herself out of bed and grabbed her whip and keys. She slowly opened the bedroom door, careful to not make any sounds. Her feet silently padded across the wooden boards as she slowly made her way toward the direction of the sound in the darkness of the house.

Ragged breathing could be heard in the living room where the front door could be reached. Her hands tightened on the whip and one hand was already reaching for Leo's key.

Without turning on the lights, Lucy moved into the living room to face the intruder of her home, only to freeze and stare at the sight before her despite the darkness of the room. The only light that peaked into the room was from the windows with the curtains halfway drawn.

There, a young man with drooping pink hair, tanned skin, torn and dirty, dark clothing, all bruised and battered, and leaning heavily on the wall beside him to support his weight. He was struggling to stand on shaky legs, he was struggling to breathe, but when he looked up and met her wide eyes, he managed a small grin at her.

"...Hey Luce."

A loud broken sob escaped her mouth and she was already running across the room, having dropped her keys and whip onto the couch as she speedily passed by it. She wrapped her arms around Natsu in a fierce hug, her momentum making him stumble slightly.

Regaining his balance, Natsu immediately sagged into her, arms looping around her waist.

She sobbed into his chest and clenched the back of his tattered black waistcoat tighter. All she felt was relief and a feeling of lightness. She couldn't muster any words to say and simply sobbed harder. A tired smile graced his lips and he nuzzled his face into her hair with a soft sigh.

"I'm home."

**Author's Note:**

> I just felt the desire to write. At one in the morning. I was having trouble sleeping and that's initially what inspired this one-shot lol. 
> 
> This is my first time attempting a somewhat sad one-shot. And this is also my first post on this website, but it's been more than a year since I wrote anything for Fairy Tail, or even for fun. So yeah. It's trash. More than trash lol
> 
> Anyway. A lot's been going on in the world right now, but I hope you're safe and okay! Take care :)


End file.
